Brood exhibit snot or cruddy brood characteristic of bee parasitic mite syndrome (PMS). Brood pattern spotty. Dead or dying larvae and/or pupae “melting” in their cells. Some dead brood shrunken in their cells. Colony with too few adults to properly cover brood.
The term idiopathic brood disease syndrome (IBDS) is applied to a condition of stressed brood. Such brood is termed snot or crud brood. This brood characteristic is seen with bee PMS and with some dead brood shrunken in their cells and not easily removed. A colony with IBDS, besides having unhealthy brood, often has too few adult bees to cover the brood area and is thus weakened. The syndrome is not widely understood or diagnosed.
Most closely resembles Bee PMS or European foulbrood (EFB). The EFB test is frequently negative.
vanEngelsdorp D, Tarpy DR, Lengerich EJ and Pettis JS. 2013. Idiopathic brood disease syndrome and queen events as precursors of colony mortality in migratory beekeeping operations in the eastern United States. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 108: 225-233. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167587712002656
Snyder R. 2013. Unknown brood damage. BeeInformed. Accessed 2023. https://beeinformed.org/2013/04/12/insecticide-brood-damage/
AVMA. 2017. Honey bees: a guide for veterinarians. American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed 2023. https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/resources/honeybees-veterinary-medicine-guide-for-veterinarians.pdf
